Fuqing 6 reactor pressure vessel in place

The reactor pressure vessel has been installed at Fuqing unit 6, China's second demonstration Hualong One unit, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced today.

The lifting operation under way at Fuqing 6 (Image: CNNC)

The lifting operation, which took place on 10 December, involved turning over the pressure vessel and placing it on a lifting ring for the first part of its movement. The lifting ring was then removed and the vessel finally positioned on its support ring.

Design changes for this version of the Hualong One reactor to improve the safety and increase the design life of the reactor also meant higher requirements for pressure vessel design, material development, welding and machining, CNNC said. The increase in size and weight also increases the difficulty of manufacturing, the company noted.

Fuqing 6's pressure vessel was independently designed by China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute, and was manufactured by China First Heavy Machinery Co Ltd.

Two demonstration units of CNNC's Hualong One design are currently under construction at the site in Fujian province. Construction of Fuqing 5 began in May 2015, and of unit 6 in December the same year. The units are scheduled to be completed in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Construction of two Hualong One units is also under way at China General Nuclear's (CGN's) Fangchenggang plant in Guangxi province. Those units - based on CGN's version of the design, the HPR1000 - are also expected to start up in 2019 and 2020, respectively. CGN proposes to use a UK version of its design - the HPR1000 - at a prospective new nuclear power plant at Bradwell, England. Two HPR1000 units are also under construction at Pakistan's Karachi nuclear power plant.